Internet usage and network traffic have evolved over the past decade. Networks are often required to support larger file sizes that are continuously transferred across the network. As such traffic continues to grow, demands for better and faster connectivity continues to grow as well. Providers and users have turned to fiber-to-the-Home (or FTTH) networks to support these demands.
Fiber-to-the-Home or FTTH connections are fiber optic cable connections that are routed to individual residences. Such connections are capable of transferring larger volumes of digital information at higher speeds and more efficiently than traditional coaxial cables, at a comparable price. Two types of optical networks are active optical network (AON) architectures or passive optical network (PON) architectures.
Active optical networks utilize electrical based switches and equipment to route and distribute optical signals. Each signal is routed using the electrical switches and equipment, to its intended user or residency. The electrical and optical hybrid nature of AONs require optical to electrical transformations and electrical to optical transformations. Such transformations require additional resources and contribute to reducing the overall speed of the network.
Passive optical networks utilize passive beam splitters to divide the optical signal among a plurality of users or residencies. The passive beam splitters are un-powered devices. The passive beam splitters enable the point to multipoint optical connection between the optical line terminal and a group of users or residencies.